Between 1927 and 1964, Studebaker would deploy the Commander nameplate more times than not. When the President model was resurrected in 1955, the Commander became the mid-range offering while the Champion continued in the entry-level position. The seller has not one but two 1956 2-door Commander sedans which raises the question do you buy them to make one good car out of two or attempt restoring both of them? Located in Bellingham, Washington, this duo is available here on craigslist for $3,500, but the seller is unclear if that price is for the pair or each. Thanks for the nifty tip. Seth Johns!
In 1956, Studebaker-Packard was two years into their merger and things were not going well. The last of the “real” Packards would be built that year and become rebadged Studebakers the following season. It appears that Commanders were produced in both South Bend, Indiana, and Hamilton, Ontario, resulting in just 3,663 2-door sedans like the seller has brought together. As finances were rather thin for the company, few changes would be made to the cars from year to year, so the 1956 Commander wasn’t a lot different than the 1955 editions.
Both of the seller’s Studes appear to have a 259 cubic inch V8 and the “black car” may have been set up for a 4-barrel carburetor which is MIA. That car also has dual exhaust and is more complete overall if you were to choose one to focus on and use the other for parts. The black “paint” reflects either a two-tone car from the start or it was white and changed sheet metal hues later. The floors are going to need some rust eradication, but the trunk may only contain the surface variety.
The ”blue car” has more issues to be dealt with as the floors are also rusty and the interior is not present. The front bumper is there but not currently attached. The V8 in this auto has bigger issues than the other vehicle as the motor seems to be locked up, per the seller. These are cars you don’t see very often now, so finding two together is unusual. If you were to acquire both machines, what would be your plan of attack?
The 3/4 shot of the darker car certainly looks like a ’57 Chevy, only a year before!
A 56 Savoy has similarities also.
I’d definitely try to restore both since they are two doors. A rare seldom seen car but won’t be worth nearly as much as a Chevy or Ford of the same vintage
Only the center section is left from 55. Totally new front and rear sheetmetal.
Looks like the owner tried to make a hotrod out of the black car (the typical extra gages on the bottom to the left) and either gave up or ran out of cash.
One of the best things about these manual transmission Stude’s is they came with overdrive, or at least my ‘56 Scotsman coupe did with the flathead six. Great cars.
Dennis,
Overdrive was an option on all models. Most Scotsman cars didn’t have OD, so what you had was fairly rare.